Suction box top



July 13, 1965 D. E. ROBINSON SUCTION BOX TOP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 23, 1961 H KE I IHHHHH h HH I I Hh zzi I. La I.

ET I i INVENTOR. DAV|D E. ROBINSON his ATTORNEYS July 13, 1965 D. E. ROBINSON SUCTION BOX TOP 2 Sheefs-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 23. 1961 m 6Q v 6Q INVENTOR. DAVID E. ROBINSON v ///v////////////// Q his ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,194,72 SUCTION BOX TOP David E. Robinson, Norwalk, Conn., assignor to Time, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 23, 1961, Ser. No. 146,935 7 Claims. (Cl. 162-374) This is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 1,261, filed January 8, 1960, for Paper Former, now abandoned.

This invention relates to suction-box tops for use in the paper-making industry and, more particularly, to a novel-and inexpensively-produced suction-box top combining great rigidity, water-draining capacity, and resistance to plugging.

The ever-greater operating speeds of which modern paper-making machinery is capable make it important to devise improved means for draining water from a paper stock during the felting of the stock to form a web of paper. Presently-available water-draining means, such as a row of suction boxes having specially-designed tops, typically either have insufiicient water-draining capacity or offer too little support for the apparatus such as a Fourdrinier wire used to transport the stock during the felting process.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel suction-box top adapted to solve the problems outlined above and a novel method of making the new top. Another object of the invention is to provide a suction-box top which is highly resistant to corrosion and inexpensive to manufacture and repair.

These and other objectsare accomplished by providing at least one bar, preferably made of stainless steel, extending transversely of the top and having first and second intersecting legs, the first leg lying parallel to the side of the top which supports the paper-web-transport ing means such as a Fourdrinier wire and extending forwardly from the second leg and the second leg extending in a direction away from the paper-web-transporting means. Novel means are provided for supporting the sec- 7 nd leg on the suction-box top.

An understanding of further aspects of the invention can be obtained from a consideration of the following detailed description of several representative embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures in the drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a suction-box top constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along the line 22 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 2 but showing also a clip constructed and mounted in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of a bar constructed in accordance with the invention and adapted to be used without covering material.

It should be borne in mind in connection with the following detailed description that the top of a suction box is not necessarily the uppermost part thereof, but rather the part thereof adjacent to the paper-web-transporting means.

FIG. 1 shows a suction-box top adapted to support a paper-web-transporting means such as a Fourdrinier wire (not shown) which moves over the top 10 in the direction indicated by the arrow (see also FIG. 2). A plurality of rigid supporting webs 11 extend longitudinally of the top 10 from the forward end 12 to the rearward end 13 thereof.

3,194,729 Patented July 13, 1965 ice As FIG. 2 shows, each supporting Web 11 is formed with a plurality of holding means such as slots 15 in the edge thereof which confronts the Fourdrinier wire. Each of a plurality of novel, preferably stainless steel bars 16 constructed in accordance with the invention comprises a first leg 17 which lies substantially parallel to the side of the top 10 which supports the Fourdrinier wire and a second leg 18 which intersects the first leg and can be adjustably coupled with the slots 15 by insertion thereinto.

Each leg 17 extends forwardly from the corresponding leg 18, and the legs 18 extend in a direction generally away from the Fourdrinier wire. The legs 18 may be rigidly secured in the slots 15 (after proper adjustment therein) by an adhesive such as an epoxy resin 19.

A cover 20 of a material such as olytetrafluoroethylene (sold by E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. under the trade name Tefion) or polyurethane may be secured to each of the legs 17. Desirably, the forward surfaces 21 of the covers 20 form with the wire-supporting surfaces 22 an acute dihedron of which the edge 23 lies in the side of the box 10 adapted to support the wire. Such a construction facilitates the drainage of water from a web of paper in the manner disclosed in my copending application referred to above. Further, the forward surfaces 21 may overlap the forward surfaces 24 of the bars 16 as shown in order to minimize the opportunity for the entry between the two of water flowing between successive bars 16.

The supporting web 11, having its wire-confronting edge 25 widely spaced apart from the legs 17, does not materially interfere with water drainage at any part of the paper web. Hence, though the supporting web 11 extend longitudinally of the top 10, it causes no shadowing of the paper.

FIG. 3 shows the construction of the edge 25 of the supporting web 11 in greater detail. The edge 25 presents a generally convex surface to the mixture of water and fines flowing through the Fourdrinier wire and therefore discourages pile-up of the fines. It may be rounded or it may have a number of plane surfaces such as the three surfaces 25a, 25b and 25c which form obtuse dihedral angles with each other and with the sides 28 and 29 of the supporting web 11.

A novel clip 30 constructed in accordance with the invention and adapted to be slipped endwise over the bar 16 so that it substantially encompasses the leg 17 is illustrated in FIG. 4. The cover 20 may be attached to the clip 30 so that replacement of the cover 29 can be effected simply by removal of the clip 30 and the substitution therefor of another clip already having a cover bonded in place.

The clip 30, as well as the bar 16, is desirably made of stainless steel in order to provide a high degree of resistance to corrosion.

A bar constructed in accordance with the invention may be used without a cover, as shown in FIG. 5. In such case, it is desirable that the forward surface 32 and the wire-supporting surface 33 of the bar form an acute dihedron to facilitate water drainage. The edge 34 of the dihedron lies substantially in the wire-supporting side of the top 10 and extends transversely of the top 16. A bar without a cover is well suited for use in combination, for example, with a nylon Fourdrinier wire.

In order to fabricate a suction-box top of the character described above, it is necessary merely to form the slots 15 in the supporting web or webs 11 at appropriate intervals and adjustably insert the legs 18 of the bars 16 in the respective slots 15. Mutual alignment of the legs 17 is effected by any suitable means. Only after perfect alignment is obtained is the epoxy 19 or other adhesive applied. Obviously, neither machining nor welding is necessary. The elimination of the welding requirement s eaves I a in accordance with the novel method of fabrication of the top is particularly advantageous in that it facilitates the use of stainless steel parts.

Thus, in accordance with the invention, a novel and inexpensive suction-box top Combining great rigidity, wator-draining capacity, and resistance to plugging is provided. While the top is particularly adapted for use in the wet end of a Fourdrinier machine, it may also find application elsewhere in the paper-making industry.

Many modifications in form and detail of the representative embodiments described above are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, while the legs 17 and 18 are shown in the figures as lying in mutually perpendicular planes, other relative orientations of the planes in which they lie are possible. Further, the outer surfaces of the legs 17 and 18 need not intersect in lines 35 and 36 but may be rounded somewhat, one into another. Again, while the holding means have been illustrated as slots 15, holes or even projections of various descriptions are likewise adaptable adjustably to secure the legs 18 to the supporting webs 11 and to allow mutual alignment of the legs 17 prior to application of the adhesive. Many other modifications will readily occur to workmen skilled in the art.

Accordingly, the invention is to be construed as including all of the modifications which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A suction-box top which has a forward end, a rearward end, and a side adapted to support paper-web-transporting means movable in a direction from said forward end to said rearward end, comprising at least one bar extending transversely of said top and having first and second intersecting legs, said first leg lying substantially parallel to said side and extending forwardly from said second leg and said second leg extending from said first leg in a direction away from said paper-Web-transporting means, a clip engageable with said first leg, a portion of said clip lying between said first leg and said paperweb-transporting means, a cover attached to said clip and lying between said clip and said paper-web-transporting means, said cover having a supporting surface and a forward surface forming with said supporting surface an acute dihedron of which the edge lies substantially in said side and extends transversely of said top, and means for supporting said second leg on said top.

2.. A suction-box top as defined'in claim 1 in which said means for supporting said second leg on said top comprises a supporting web'extending longitudinally of said top in spaced-apart relation to said side and having a transversely-extending slot formed therein in confront ing relation to said side, said slot being adapted to receive said second leg and said supporting web being formed with a generally convex surface confronting said side. a I

3. A suction-box top as defined .in claim 1 in which said bar is made of stainless steel.

4. A suction-box top as defined in claim l in which said means for supporting said second leg comprises an adhesive. v

5. A suction-box top as'defined in claim 1 in which said means for supporting said second leg comprises an epoxy resin.

6. A suction-box top as defined in claim 2 in which said supporting web is widely spaced apart from; said first leg. 7 V

7. A suction-box top as defined in claim 1 in which said clip has a forward surface and in which said cover overlaps said forward surface of said clip.

Hill Book Co., New York, 1953 (pp. 127 and 129).

Pye, Wea'rof Fourdrinier Wire Bearing Materials,

Pulp and'Paper Magazine of Canada, March 1958, pp.

DONALL H. SYLVESTER, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD D. NEVIUS, Examiner, 

1. A SUCTION-BOX TOP WHICH HAS A FORWARD END, A REARWARD END, AND A SIDE ADAPTED TO SUPPORT PAPER-WEB-TRANSPORTION MEANS MOVABLE IN A DIRECTION FORM SAID FORWARD END TO SAID REARWARD END, COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE BAR EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID TOPE AND HAVING FIRST AND SECOND INTERSECTING LEGS, SAID FIRST LEG LYING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID SIDE AND EXTENDING FORWARDLY FROM SAID SECOND LEG AND SAID SECOND LEG EXTENDING FROM SAID FIRST LEG IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID PAPER-WEB-TRANSPORTING MEANS, A CLIP ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID FIRST LEG, A PORTION OF SAID CLIP LYING BETWEEN SAID FIRST LEG AND SAID PAPERWEB-TRANSPORTING MEANS, A COVER ATTACHED TO SAID CLIP AND LYING BETWEEN SAID CLIP AND SAID PAPER-WEB-TRANSPORTING MEANS, SAID COVER HAVING A SUPPORTING SURFACE AND A FORWARD SURFACE FORMING WITH SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE AN ACUTE DIHEDRON OF WHICH THE EDGE LIES SUBSTANTIALLY IN SAID SIDE AND EXTENDS TRANSVERSELY OF SAID TOP, AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID SECOND LEG ON SAID TOP. 